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Hen in Scrabble and Meaning

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What does hen mean? Is hen a Scrabble word?

How many points in Scrabble is hen worth? hen how many points in Words With Friends? What does hen mean? Get all these answers on this page.

Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for hen

See how to calculate how many points for hen.

Is hen a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word hen is a Scrabble US word. The word hen is worth 6 points in Scrabble:

H4E1N1

Is hen a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word hen is a Scrabble UK word and has 6 points:

H4E1N1

Is hen a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word hen is a Words With Friends word. The word hen is worth 6 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

H3E1N2

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Valid words made from Hen

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3-letter words (1 found)

HEN,

2-letter words (4 found)

EH,EN,HE,NE,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 6 words from hen according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

All 3 letters words made out of hen

hen ehn hne nhe enh neh

Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word hen. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in hen.

Definitions and meaning of hen

hen

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛn/
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Etymology 1

From Middle English hen, from Old English henn (“hen”), from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō (“hen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kan-, *kana- (“to sing”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hanne (“hen”), West Frisian hin (“hen”), Dutch hen (“hen”), German Low German Heen (“hen”), German Henne (“hen”), Danish høne (“hen”), Swedish höna (“hen”), Icelandic hæna (“hen”). Related to Old English hana (“cock, rooster”). Also cognate to Latin cicōnia (“stork”), Latin canō (“to sing”), Russian каню́к (kanjúk, “buzzard”). Compare Russian пету́х (petúx, “rooster, cock”) from Russian петь (petʹ, “to sing”).

Alternative forms

  • henne (obsolete)

Noun

hen (plural hens)

  1. A female chicken (Gallus gallus), particularly a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
    Coordinate term: cock
  2. A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.
    Coordinate term: cock
  3. (uncommon) A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean.
    Synonym: henfish
    Coordinate terms: cock, cockfish
  4. (figuratively) A woman.
    1. (UK, informal) A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night.
  5. (UK, informal) A hen night.
  6. (Scotland, informal) An affectionate term of address used to women or girls.
    Don't cry, hen. Everything will be all right.
  7. (figuratively, derogatory, uncommon) A henlike person of either sex.
  8. The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.
  9. (obsolete) A large pewter pot used in a tavern.
    Coordinate term: chicken
Synonyms
  • (female bird): hen-bird
  • (bride-to-be): bachelorette (US)
  • (M. mercenaria): hard clam, hen-clam, hen-fish
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

hen (third-person singular simple present hens, present participle henning, simple past and past participle henned)

  1. Alternative form of mother-hen
See also
  • broody

Etymology 2

From Middle English henne, heonne, hinne, from earlier henene, heonenen, henen, from Old English heonan, hionan, heonane, heonone (“hence, from here, away, from how”), from Proto-Germanic *hina, *hinanō (“from here”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”). Cognate with Dutch heen (“away”), German hin (“hence, from here”), Danish hen (“away, further, on”). See also hence.

Adverb

hen (not comparable)

  1. (dialectal) Hence.

Etymology 3

From hen (“hence, away”), or a variant of hench.

Verb

hen (third-person singular simple present hens, present participle henning, simple past and past participle henned)

  1. (dialectal) To throw.

Anagrams

  • NHE, Neh.

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.

Adjective

hen

  1. old, ancient

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

  • haban, håm

Etymology

From Middle High German haben, from Old High German hāben, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have; to hold”). Cognate with German haben, English have.

Verb

hen (irregular, auxiliary hen)

  1. (Tredici Comuni) to have

References

  • Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Danish

Etymology

From Middle Low German hen, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *hiz (“here”). Related to Swedish hän, English hence, and German hin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈhɛn], [ˈhɛnˀ]
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Adverb

hen

  1. Used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
    Gå hen til din far.
    Go to your father.
    Hestene går hen imod mig.
    The horses are walking towards me.

Usage notes

Contrast with henne; where hen indicates movement, henne indicates position. Thus hvor løber han henne? means "where is he running?", whereas hvor løber han hen? means "to where is he running?".

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦɛn/
  • Hyphenation: hen
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch hin, from Proto-Germanic *himaz.

Pronoun

hen (personal)

  1. they (subject pronoun)
  2. them (object pronoun)
Usage notes

See the usage note at hun for details on use.

Inflection
Related terms
  • hun

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch henne, from Old Dutch *henna, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- (“to sing”).

Noun

hen f (plural hennen, diminutive hennetje n, masculine haan)

  2. hen, female chicken; female of a related species.
  3. A female of the species of birds brooding on the ground.
  4. (figuratively) 'bird', colloquial term for a human female
Synonyms
  • (female chicken) kip, kieken
  • (brooding bird) kloek
  • (female human; informal) kippetje, duifje
Related terms
  • haan m (rooster)
  • hoen, hoender n (fowl)
Descendants
  • Jersey Dutch: hän

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

hen (possessive hun)

  1. (gender-neutral, nonstandard) they (singular) (subject pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.
  2. (gender-neutral, nonstandard) them (singular) (object pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.

Finnish

Noun

hen

  1. genitive singular of he (“he (a letter of some Semitic alphabets)”)

Japanese

Romanization

hen

  1. Rōmaji transcription of へん

Mandarin

Romanization

hen

  1. Nonstandard spelling of hēn.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of hén.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of hěn.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of hèn.

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Alternative forms

  • henne, hene, han, en, heene

Etymology

From Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛn/
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

hen (plural hennes or hennen, genitive hennes or henne)

  1. hen, chicken
  2. female bird

Descendants

  • English: hen
  • Scots: hen
  • Yola: hen, hin

References

  • “hen, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-03.

Mohawk

Particle

hen

  1. yes

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German hen, henne.

Adverb

hen

  1. used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
  2. (dialectal) where

Etymology 2

Through Swedish hen from Finnish hän.

Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, possessive hens)

  1. (neologism) they
Usage notes
  • Hen can be used when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant, or to refer to someone who prefers a gender neutral pronoun instead of han (“he”) or hun (“she”).
See also
  • han (“he”), hun (“she”), vedkommende (“they”)

References

  • “hen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
  • “hen_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Further reading

  • "Det kjønnsnøytrale pronomenet hen har kome inn i norsk dei siste åra og blir brukt i to litt ulike tydingar. I juni 2022 kom ordet òg inn i rettskrivingsnormene for nynorsk og bokmål."
  • “New gender-neutral pronoun likely to enter Norwegian dictionaries” by Weronika Strzyżyńska (2022-02-02), in The Guardian

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German hen, henne.

Adverb

hen

  1. used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
  2. (dialectal) where

Etymology 2

Through Swedish hen from Finnish hän.

Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, possessive hens)

  1. (neologism) they
Usage notes
  • Hen can be used when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant, or to refer to someone who prefers a gender neutral pronoun instead of han (“he”) or ho (“she”).
See also
  • han (“he”), ho (“she”), vedkomande (“they”)

References

  • “hen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
  • “hen”, in Norsk ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet (in Norwegian Nynorsk), volume 5, Oslo: Samlaget, 2005, columns 292–293
  • “hen” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring
  • “hen_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Further reading

  • “Det kjønnsnøytrale pronomenet hen har kome inn i norsk dei siste åra og blir brukt i to litt ulike tydingar”
  • “New gender-neutral pronoun likely to enter Norwegian dictionaries” by Weronika Strzyżyńska (2022-02-02), in The Guardian

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *eno.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /xɛn/
  • Rhymes: -ɛn
  • Syllabification: hen

Adverb

hen (not comparable)

  1. (literary) far away

Further reading

  • hen in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • hen in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Scots

Noun

hen (uncountable)

  1. Term of address for a woman.

Swedish

Etymology 1

Created as an alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”). The coining of the word has probably been influenced by the Finnish hän, a personal pronoun used about human beings and which does not specify gender (Finnish lacks grammatical gender entirely). Hen was suggested as early as 1966 by linguist Rolf Dunås in Swedish regional newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning and was proposed again in a 1994 article by linguist Hans Karlgren, but did not receive widespread attention until around 2010.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛn/
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, oblique hen or henom, possessive hens)

  1. (neologism) A third-person singular pronoun of unspecified gender; they, thon; alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”).
Usage notes
  • Although the word has gained common use, it is not nearly as common as the gendered words han and hon. From 2011 to 2020, usage of hen increased hundredfold in the media, but no increase was seen in 2021. It has been especially popular among activists for gender equality and adherents of queer theory, and with the transgender community. In 2022, usage of hen was ranked in shared first place alongside misspelling of words as the most annoying language phenomenon in a Swedish survey. Publishers of manuals of style and the Swedish Language Council do not proscribe the usage of hen, but recommend the inflected forms hens as the possessive and hen over henom as the object.

See also

  • vederbörande

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hein, from Proto-Germanic *hainō.

Related to Norwegian and Icelandic hein (“whetstone”), Old English hān (“stone, rock”) and modern English hone. Further related to Sanskrit शाण (śāṇa) and Latin cōs with the same meaning. See also (dialectal) Swedish hena (“to hone”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /heːn/

Noun

hen c

  1. (archaic, dialectal) a whetstone, particularly the small and soft kind.
Declension
Synonyms
  • bryne n
  • brynsten c
Related terms
  • slipsten c (“grindstone”)

References

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *hëëno. Cognates include Finnish hieno.

Adjective

hen

  1. fine
  2. refined, elegant

Inflection

Derived terms

  • henota

References

  • Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “изысканный, мелкий, тонкий, утончённый”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎[12], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hɛn˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [hɛŋ˧˧]
  • (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [hɛŋ˧˧]

Etymology 1

Cognate with Kuy [Salavan] hɛːn ("to cough").

Noun

hen • (𠻃, 𤹖)

  1. (pathology) (bệnh ~) asthma
    Synonyms: suyễn, hen suyễn
Derived terms

Verb

hen • (𠻃, 𤹖)

  1. (North Central Vietnam) to cough

Etymology 2

Particle

hen

  1. (Southern Vietnam) okay?; alright?

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /heːn/
  • Rhymes: -eːn
  • Rhymes: -ɛn

Adjective

hen (feminine singular hen, plural henion, equative hyned, comparative hŷn or hynach or henach, superlative hynaf or henaf, not mutable)

  1. old, aged; ancient, antique, pristine, former; inveterate, chronic; original; senior, elder
  2. stale, mouldy, musty, fusty
  3. unreformed, old, traditional (of style or mode of expressing dates according to the Julian Calendar); reckoned according to the Old Style (of festival)

Usage notes

  • This adjective has an alternate, more “senior” comparative in the form of hŷn and an equivalent alternate superlative in the form of hynaf.
  • Unlike most Welsh adjectives, this word goes before the noun.
  • Like most Welsh adjectives that go before the noun, this word triggers a soft mutation in the word that follows it.

Derived terms

Yola

Alternative forms

  • hin

Etymology

From Middle English hen, from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛn/, /hɪn/

Noun

hen (plural henès)

  1. hen
    Coordinate term: cuck

References

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 46

Source: wiktionary.org